UK Settlement Visa

You can apply as the partner, spouse, child of a British citizen or person settled in the UK

You may be eligible for settlement (‘indefinite leave to remain’) if your partner/family member is a:

• British citizen
• person settled in the UK

Partners are 2 people in a genuine relationship - you must be able to prove one of the following:

• you’re married
• you’re in a civil partnership
• you’ve been in a relationship for 2 years

You and your partner must intend to continue your relationship after you apply for settlement.

Your family member can:

• be a British citizen
• have settled in the UK
• have asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK

If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply to:

• join your partner (spouse, fiancé(e), civil or unmarried partner)
• join your parent
• come to look after your child
• come to be looked after by family

To apply for a ‘family of a settled person’ visa, you must be from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

Your partner or family member must have one of the following:

• British citizenship
• settlement in the UK
• asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK

You must also prove that:

• you’re 18 or over, unless you’re applying as a child
• your relationship to your family member is genuine and recognised in the UK, eg your marriage is legal in your country
• you intend to continue living with your family member or partner in the UK after you apply (unless you’re a parent with access rights)
• either you or your family member can support and accommodate you and any dependent children while in the UK, or you meet the financial requirement
• you and your family will have an adequate place to live in the UK
• you have a good knowledge of English if you’re 18 or over - unless you’re applying as an adult dependent relative

You must prove that you and your partner are 18 or over and in a genuine relationship.

You must be one of the following:

• married or civil partners
• living together in a relationship for 2 years
• engaged to be married or to become civil partners

You must prove that any previous relationships you or your partner had are permanently broken down.

You must also meet the financial requirement of:

You need to have been living in the UK with a ‘partner of a settled person’ visa for:

• 2 years if you applied for your visa before 9 July 2012
• 5 years or 10 years if you applied for your visa on or after 9 July 2012

• an English language test

Your application might be refused if, for example, you’ve:

• got a criminal record in the UK or another country
• provided false or incomplete information to the Home Office

broken UK immigration law